Rabbit & Bacon Pie

[lesley]

Chubby, this is the dish we made for friends at the weekend, I was a bit hesitant on the rabbit, but it was awesome!



Serves 4
Prep Time 20 mins
Cooking Time 1 hr 40mins to 2hr 10 mins
Ingredients

2 Rabbits, skinned and gutted
2 Large leeks, washed and roughly chopped
225g/8oz Smoked bacon rashers
Zest of a small lemon
50g/2oz Unsalted butter
40g/1½ oz Plain/all purpose flour
570ml/1 pint Rabbit stock (see Cook’s tips 1.)
2 Tbsp crème fresh
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
275g/10oz Packet Short crust pastry
1 Large free range egg, beaten

Method

Put the rabbits with the bacon rashers laid on top into a large heavy saucepan
Cover with cold water and bring to the boil
Simmer until tender, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.(see Cooks tips 2)
Strain off and reserve 570ml/1 pint of the stock
When the rabbit has cooled down enough to handle, pull off the meat into small bite size pieces
Roughly chop the bacon rashers
Cover the meat and set aside
Steam the leeks for a few minutes until just soft
Mix the leeks in with the rabbit and bacon and cover

Method for the Sauce

Melt the butter in a saucepan
Over a low heat, add the flour and stir continuously for a minute
Slowly add the reserved rabbit stock, stirring all the time
When the sauce has thickened, pour in the creme fraiche and stir
Add the lemon zest and seasoning
Take off the heat and stir in enough sauce to bind together with the rabbit, bacon and leeks

Method cont'd

Divide the pastry into four portions
Roll out each pastry portion to about ¼ inch thick (see Cook’s tips 3)
Brush a little of the sauce around the top of the pie dish
Press a thin strip of the pastry over the edge each dish
Divide the rabbit sauce mixture between the four dishes, almost to the top
Dampen the edge of the pastry strip and lay the rolled out crust over the top and press down to seal
Repeat with the remaining dishes
Brush the pastry pie tops with the beaten egg
Use a sharp knife and push into the centre of the pie to allow any steam to escape
Bake in a preheated oven 200°C/400 °F/ gas mark 6 for 10 minutes
Then lower the temperature to 170°C/325°F/gas mark 3 and cook for 30 minutes until pastry is golden

Cook's tips

1. Use the stock from cooking the rabbits in
2. The meat should pull away from the bone
3. Turn the pie dish upside down on the pastry and cut round the edge to get the exact size

Equipment

Large heavy duty saucepan
4 Individual pie dishes 350ml/ ¾ pint
Small saucepan

Shopping List

2 Rabbits
2 Large leeks
225g/8oz Smoked bacon rashers
Zest of a small lemon
50g/2oz Unsalted butter
40g/1½ oz Plain/all purpose flour
2 Tbsp Crème fresh
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
275g/10oz Packet Short crust pastry
1 Large free range egg

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

This sounds wonderful Les! Thanks for sharing it!

[chubbyalaskagriz]

Absolutely Les... this pie looks fantastic! YUM! Thanks for sharing!

[lesley]

You're very welcome..

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

Did any of you catch the "Top Chef" show on Bravo last night? One of the items served was a Rabbit Rib w/ sauce. The Chef's were blown away with this dish! Also a Trout Bearnaise the show was awesome, one of the judging chefs last night was Joel Robuchon!!! How neat would that be, I'd be a nrevous wreck

[lesley]

Did any of you catch the "Top Chef" show on Bravo last night? One of the items served was a Rabbit Rib w/ sauce. The Chef's were blown away with this dish! Also a Trout Bearnaise the show was awesome, one of the judging chefs last night was Joel Robuchon!!! How neat would that be, I'd be a nrevous wreck

No, we missed that one, I often wonder how it must feel to be under that pressure, we had an email from a friend last week asking us to contact the BBC, they're running a pilot programme about couples that cook, they film you going to a Farmers Market, then film you at home cooking...I thought about it for 3 days & by the time I rang them ..it was too late! Was I relieved? uhm..yes